Method for filling a container with a liquid

Abstract

In a method for filling a bottle, a balloon body extends through an axial through bore of a cap and is connected seal-tightly with an upper circumferential rim to the cap above a radial opening of the cap. An elongate support associated with the balloon body is connected to the cap. Balloon and elongate support are inserted into the bottle. The cap is positioned at a spacing above the bottle neck to form a ring-shaped intermediate gap. Air contained in the bottle interior is forced out through the intermediate gap by inflating the balloon body with an expansion medium. Subsequently, the cap is fluid-tightly fitted on the bottle neck. The expansion medium is allowed to escape from the balloon body and liquid is supplied through radial and axial openings of the cap into the space between outer surface of the balloon body and inner bottle wall.

Claims

1. A method for filling a bottle with a liquid, the method comprising: providing a cap comprising an axial through bore and a radial opening that extends in a radial direction through the cap, the radial opening having a radial inward end opening into the axial through bore and further having a radial outward end; providing a balloon body that is liquid-tight relative to the liquid and gas-tight, the balloon body extending through the axial through bore, the balloon body comprising an upper circumferential rim, wherein the balloon body is connected seal-tightly to the cap with the upper circumferential rim above the radial inward end of the radial opening, and the balloon body further having a balloon bottom end extending downwardly away from the cap; providing an elongate support associated with the balloon body and connected to the cap; inserting the balloon bottom end and the elongate support into the bottle through a container opening of the bottle; positioning the cap in a first position at a spacing above a top face of a rim of the container opening so that a ring-shaped intermediate gap is defined between a bottom side of the cap and the top face; inflating the balloon body with an expansion medium until the balloon body fills out an interior of the bottle to thereby force out air contained in the interior of the bottle through the ring-shaped intermediate gap; subsequently fluid-tightly fitting the cap in a second position on the top face of the container opening; creating an intermediate space between an outer surface of the balloon body and an inner wall of the bottle by allowing the expansion medium to escape from the balloon body; supplying the liquid through the radial opening and through the axial through bore into the intermediate space.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting a non-elastic material for the balloon body.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of supplying the liquid comprises filling the interior of the bottle successively with the liquid from the container opening toward an end of the bottle remote from the container opening.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the elongate support is a tube provided with at least one exit opening for the expansion medium, the method further comprising: arranging the balloon body liquid-tightly and gas-tightly on the tube and enveloping the tube with the balloon body at least partially so that the balloon body is resting on the tube prior to inflating; in the step of inflating, supplying the expansion medium through the tube so that the expansion medium enters the balloon body through the exit opening of the tube to inflate the balloon body; wherein, in the step of allowing the expansion medium to escape, the expansion medium escapes from the balloon body though the exit opening of the tube.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the elongate support is at least one rod on which the balloon body is resting.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one rod is flexible.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising providing the at least one rod with a longitudinal contour matched to an inner contour of the bottle.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising connecting a leading end of the at least one rod to the balloon bottom end by a string or a wire.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing an outer surface of the balloon body with raised portions.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the raised portions are knob-shaped.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the expansion medium is a gas.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the expansion medium is air.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the expansion medium is a liquid.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the expansion medium is water.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of a filling device according to the invention for filling a container with a liquid designed for consumption will be described in the following with the aid of the drawings.

(2) FIGS. 1a to 1f show a first embodiment wherein various method stages are illustrated.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the device.

(4) FIGS. 3a to 3d show a third embodiment of the device using three balloon-type bodies, also in various method stages.

(5) FIGS. 4a to 4f show a fourth embodiment wherein various method stages are illustrated.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(6) FIG. 1a of the first embodiment of the filling device shows a container 1 in the form of a bottle with a container opening 2. The filling device is comprised firstly of a tube 3 that is mounted in a cap 4. This tube 3 is open at the bottom end. Moreover, it has at the top a feed opening for a medium. The cap 4 has finally also a lateral radial opening 5 with radial inward end 5a and radial outward end 5b (see FIG. 1b).

(7) Onto the tube 3, a flexible body 6 is pushed and is attached with its upper circumferential rim seal-tightly on the cap 4. This body 6 can be inflated to a balloon of sorts.

(8) The function is as follows.

(9) The filling device is inserted with the tube 3 leading into the container 1 through the container opening 2. FIG. 1b shows the situation with the filling device completely inserted and the cap 4 in this situation located somewhat spaced above the container opening 2, i.e., not seal-tightly attached.

(10) FIG. 1c shows how an expansion medium 8, in particular air (but also alternatively a hydraulic expansion medium) is fed to the tube 3. This expansion medium 8 exits from the lower opening of the tube 3 and inflates thereby gradually the body 6 to a balloon-type body 6. The air that is contained in the container 1 escapes in this context through the ring-shaped intermediate gap G between the top face 2a of the rim 2b of the container opening 2 and the cap 4. The final situation is shown in FIG. 1d. It shows how the balloon-shaped body 6 is completely contacting the inner wall of the container 1. Also, the cap 4 now has been seal-tightly placed onto the container 1.

(11) There are two possibilities for filling the balloon-type body 6 with the expansion medium 8.

(12) On the one hand, the expansion medium 8 can be supplied with overpressure to the balloon-type body 6 so that the latter is inflated in this way.

(13) On the other hand, underpressure can be applied to the intermediate space between the balloon-type body 6 and the inner wall of the container 1 so that, as a result of the produced pressure difference, the balloon-type body 6 will suck in the expansion medium 8 and be inflated in this way.

(14) As illustrated in FIG. 1e, the expansion medium 8 subsequently will escape again. By throttling the escaping expansion medium 8, a counter pressure is maintained that suppresses the release of, for example, CO.sub.2 during inflow of the liquid 7 into the container 1. Because of its elasticity, the balloon-type body 6 contracts. Through the opening 5 in the cap 4, the liquid 7 is supplied to the container 1. The liquid 7 displaces the balloon-type body 6 with the required volume. The intermediate space between the balloon-type body 6 and the inner wall of the container 1 depends on the quantity of the supplied liquid 7.

(15) After complete filling of the container 1, the filling device is pulled out of the container 1 again (FIG. 1f).

(16) FIG. 2 shows a somewhat modified embodiment of the balloon-type body 6. Here it is shown that the balloon-type body 6 upon filling in the expansion medium 8 will inflate in a profiled way such that first the bottom area of the container 1 is filled out, subsequently the central container area, and finally the neck area of the container 1. Emptying of the balloon-type body 6 for the filling process is then realized in reverse order.

(17) FIGS. 3a to 3d show a further modified embodiment of the filling device. A total of three balloon-type bodies 6 are provided that are secured on top of each and arranged so as to envelope the tube 3. Each of these three balloon-type bodies 6 has associated therewith an exit opening 3a, 3b, 3c of the tube 3.

(18) In this embodiment, first the lowermost balloon-shaped body 6 is inflated (FIG. 3b), subsequently the central balloon-type body 6 (FIG. 3c) as well as finally the uppermost balloon-shaped body 6 (FIG. 3d). Emptying of the balloon-type body 6 for the filling process is done in reverse order.

(19) FIGS. 4a to 4d show a further modified embodiment of the filling device. Here, the basic principle resides in that a rod 9 is arranged on the cap 4 instead of a tube 3. This rod 9 is comprised in particular of plastic material and is formed as an elongate flexible structure. In contrast to the tube 3, the rod 9 does not extend into the balloon-type body 6 but the balloon-type body 6 and the rod 9 are instead positioned side-by-side. The leading end of the balloon-type body 6 is connected with the leading end of the rod 9 by a string 10 or the like.

(20) Moreover, in FIGS. 4b to 4e it can be seen that the upper end of the balloon-type body 6 in the area of the valve opening of the cap 4 is resting directly on the inner wall of the axial through bore that is formed in this cap 4. This has the advantage that no air gap remains with which the liquid 7 might come into contact. This configuration is also usable in connection with the afore described embodiments.

(21) The basic principle of filling corresponds to the basic principle as already disclosed above. This means that the rod 9 with its balloon-type body 6 is inserted into the container opening 2 of the container 1 (FIGS. 4a and 4b). After opening a valve, the balloon-type body 6 is filled with air so that, as a result of the associated displacement effect, the air that is contained in the container 1 is pressed out and thus escapes through an outlet valve (FIGS. 4c and 4d). Likewise, it is also possible to apply a vacuum to the container 1 so that the balloon-type body 6 is filled with air as a result of the pressure difference.

(22) Subsequently, the air is then released again from the balloon-type body 6. Since the balloon-type body 6 is similar to an air-filled balloon of sorts, upon release of the air the latter will contract automatically and therefore will force out the air contained in the balloon-type body 6 (FIG. 4e). At the same time, the liquid 7 is sucked into the container 1 or the liquid 7 is supplied under pressure. Subsequently, the filling device can be removed again from the container 1 and can be used for a subsequent filling process (FIG. 4f).

(23) The advantage in using the afore described rod 9 is that the latter, upon filling the balloon-type body 6 with air, is positioned between the outer wall surface of this balloon-type body 6 and the inner wall surface of the container 1 in such a way that along the rod 9 a gap is formed. In this way, a possibility is provided that all air can escape from the container inasmuch as any air pockets should form in case the balloon-type body 6 inflates in an unfavorable way. This is illustrated in the section illustration of FIG. 4d. The gap will be reduced automatically with increasing inflation of the balloon-type body 6. The air gap essentially ensures by itself that it is minimized or eliminated.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

(24) 1 container 2 container opening 3 tube 4 cap 5 opening 6 balloon-type body 7 liquid 8 expansion medium 9 rod 10 string